by Ami LeCoeur
Seducing Sarah
- Book 3 ~ The Educator: Scott -
Ami LeCoeur
PUBLISHED BY:
Career Life Press
Copyright © 2017
Ami LeCoeur
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior written consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is entirely coincidental. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and situations are either the product of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real.
Releases:
Book 1 – The Shutterbug (Jimmy)
US - http://amzn.to/2mtAmqI
UK - http://amzn.to/2mqZDBi
Book 2 – The Body (Tony)
US - http://amzn.to/2mEfmdS
UK - http://amzn.to/2niwoBN
Book 3 – The Educator (Scott)
US - http://amzn.to/2ojhSu7
UK - http://amzn.to/2nFlkwo
Book 4 – The Player (Kris)
US - http://amzn.to/2oDV0mp
UK - http://amzn.to/2n6EApe
Book 5 – The Advocate (Al) - May 18, 2017
Book 6 – The Cider King (Jonathan) -June 1, 2017
Seducing Sarah - Full Series:
US - http://amzn.to/2n7lFcQ
UK - http://amzn.to/2niHNl3
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Newsletter: – Click here to get an email as soon as the next book in the series is available.
Book 3 - Summary
When Sarah's best friend Tammy invites her to a brunch, of course she has to go. But little does she expect that the guest of honor will find her as attractive as she finds him.
A psychology professor from the local university, Scott is celebrating the publication of his first book, a psychological thriller. Unlike the guys she's recently dated, he has a more mature approach to life, with interests that range from his passion for dissecting the intricacies of the human mind to appreciating German art.
Tired of the shallow men she's gone out with so far in her quest to find a relationship worth having, she's delighted when Scott invites her to his book signing. Especially when her friend Tammy seems equally pleased with the idea.
This is Book 3 in Sarah’s journey.
Chapter One
“A mimosa, please.”
I smiled at the young woman behind the makeshift mini bar. I recognized her as one of my best friend Tammy’s staff from the gallery, but I couldn’t remember her name.
“Thanks,” I said, gratefully accepting the drink. After everything that had recently happened, it was all I could do to sip and savor the fruity concoction instead of tossing it back and asking for another one right away.
It wasn’t that I regretted going to the brunch. Being out was nice, especially among intelligent people. What a refreshing concept after the dim ‘conversations’ I’d been having with Tony, the sports-addicted, body-focused weightlifter. It was only a day after our showdown at the gym, and I still felt a little pissed-wounded-sad thinking about him.
Looking around as I sipped my drink, I wondered if I would ever be one of the happy couples seated around the large living room. I couldn’t help noticing they were all roughly my age, except for a couple who looked to be somewhere near forty. What was so wrong with me that I couldn’t find someone to be serious about? I shook my head, not really expecting an answer that would do me any good.
At least Tammy hadn’t lied about single people being here. I counted five, besides myself, who sipped drinks and picked at pastries by themselves. All but one were women. I smiled, somehow relieved that I wasn’t the only single one.
There was no missing the guest of honor. I watched him from my spot on a loveseat near the window as he mingled comfortably among the other guests. He was tall, lanky, and looked to be somewhere in his late thirties, maybe early forties. His light brown hair had the sparest sprinkling of gray, and it added to his air of serious contemplation.
In cords and a pullover sweater, he hadn’t exactly dressed up for the occasion. But then again, nobody had. It was a casual, comfortable weekend group. He was a nice-looking guy, and the single ladies in the room seemed plenty interested in what he was saying, regardless of how he was dressed—and they weren’t the only ones. Not that the attention seemed to bother him. Just the opposite. He was busy eating it up and didn’t seem to care who gave it to him.
“He’s a psych professor at the local university,” Tammy said, her voice low as she slid in beside me.
“He certainly seems right at home. And he isn’t lacking in confidence, either,” I whispered back, and Tammy almost snorted.
“Well, he can be a bit of a blowhard, but at least he’s interesting.” She turned towards me, changing the subject. “From your sour mood, I’m guessing you’re still sulking over Tony.”
“I’m not sulking,” I sulked.
“Yeah, right. You are the very definition of sulking. Well, at least you broke it off with him before he got you ringside seats at mud wrestling or extreme cage fighting or something even worse.”
That made me choke back a giggle. As uncomfortable as I’d been while telling the truth, I was glad I’d fessed up about the whole fiasco. Especially to Tammy. I would hate to have to explain it all right now. And if I knew Tammy, she would have insisted, regardless of who was around or what was going on. It was her way of having my back.
“Thanks for pressing me to come,” I said. “I needed this. I needed you.”
“What can I say? I know you better than you know yourself.” She patted my arm good-naturedly.
Across the room, Scott laughed, drawing our attention in his direction.
“How did you meet this guy, anyway?” I asked, nodding toward him. “He doesn’t really seem like one of your normal buddies.”
“He came into the art gallery a while ago looking for a special gift, and he totally charmed me. What can I say? He wanted to get something for his mother. Something special. That certainly didn’t hurt my impression of him.”
I looked at her closely. “You sound a little smitten.”
“Hardly. But I did find it refreshing.” She grinned. “We chatted each other up, and he told me he’d just had his first book published. He was so enthused about it, I couldn’t help but feel a certain enthusiasm along with him. He said his mom had always encouraged his writing, so he wanted the gift he chose to be special. Kind of a ‘thank you’ for all the years of support.”
“Hmm.” I glanced at him holding court with the ladies, adding this knowledge to the filter of my first impressions. So, he was close with his mother. That was definitely a point in his favor. He was mature, which was another point. God knew I needed a mature man in my life. So far on my current quest to find a relationship that might work, I’d dated an immature narcissist and an immature meathead.
“That sounds like an interested hmm.” Tammy got to her feet and pulled me by the arm. “I think it’s about time you meet our guest of honor personally.”
“Stop it,” I hissed, suddenly feeling very much put on the spot and doing my best to pull back.
She batted her lashes at me. “I know you better than you do, remember? I think the two of you will hit it off.” With Tammy, that kind of fight would be useless. With a loud exhale, I gave up and let her drag me closer to Scott. At the same time, a little light bulb went off in my head. Now I understood why she insisted I come to br
unch.
I laughed, maybe I wasn’t quite so reluctant to meet the man after all.
Chapter Two
“Scott Mosier, this is my best friend, Sarah Pilsner.” Tammy beamed as she introduced us.
Scott smiled, his eyes flicking up and down as he held out his hand. It was a quick, almost subtle glance, and I probably only caught it because I was feeling slightly self-conscious.
“A pleasure, Miss Pilsner.” He had a firm, strong grip that went along with his confident smile. A good sign.
“Thank you. This is a rare treat for me. I’ve never met a published author before.”
“Then I’m honored to be your first,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Especially nowadays, with publishing on a decline the way it is. It takes the cream of the crop to get a book deal.”
His comment threw me a little, but I figured he must be right. He would know better than I would.
“But enough about me. What do you do, Sarah?”
“I own a graphic design agency.” I found it better to keep my elevator pitch short and sweet since most people got a bit glassy-eyed if I tried to explain my business.
“Oh, so you’re Tammy’s friend with the design agency.” He smiled even bigger, which made me more uncomfortable. “You undersell yourself. She told me you were extremely successful and were considering opening a second office to handle the overflow.”
I grinned. “She’s my best friend. She’s supposed to brag.”
His brows furrowed again. “There’s no reason to be shy or self-deprecating. If you’re successful, why not be proud of it? You don’t have to be a braggart, but you should own your hard-earned success.”
My smile faded just a bit at the implied reprimand, and I leaned back. “You’re right, of course. I am very proud of what I’ve done. I just find most people don’t understand the business, and I certainly don’t want to bore anyone with the details of what I do every day.”
He laughed. “Somehow, I think you could hardly be boring.”
“Here you are, you rascal, flirting again,” came a sweet voice behind me. A petite, pretty young woman handed Scott a glass of water. “Stay hydrated,” she instructed with a smile.
“Emma, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is my friend Emma. I asked her to keep me company today, in case nobody wanted to talk to me.”
Emma had riotous auburn curls and a bright smile. She narrowed her eyes at Scott. “Please. You knew people would be interested or else you wouldn’t have agreed to come.” She rolled her eyes at me and gave me a wink.
“Stop giving away all my secrets, Em.” He shrugged, his grin growing broader.
“While I have your attention, I was just chatting with the couple sitting behind us…” she pointed to a pair by the fireplace, “and he wanted to know where you got the inspiration for the characters in your book.”
“Good question,” Scott said, turning his attention to smile over at the man. “I’d always wanted to write a book based on some case studies I’d researched while working on my graduate degree. You’d be surprised how many of my killer’s psychological tendencies are based on real-life people.”
“I shudder to think how many,” the man responded. A few people laughed, and I felt out of place for not having read the book in advance. I hadn’t had the time, of course, but it put me at a disadvantage to the others who had already read it. I smiled and tried to blend into the background as Scott took center stage again.
“What do you think, Sarah?” Scott turned to me with a raised eyebrow. The room went silent.
Tammy jumped in. “I only invited Sarah yesterday, Scott. No fair putting her on the spot.” Another smattering of laughter. It was good-natured, at least.
“Well, I hope you’ll take the time to read it,” he said, his eyes seeming to pierce into me. “And of course, I’d love to know your thoughts about it, once you’re finished.”
“I’ll be sure to clear some room in my very busy schedule,” I joked with a smile.
One of the single girls approached Scott. “How long did it take you to write?” she asked, and there was no missing the way she cut her eyes at me. I pretended not to notice.
“Oh, let’s see. Between the courses I teach and my lectures, I only had time to write first thing each morning and then late at night, after taking care of my other duties. The first draft took eight months, and the revision process took another six. It’s been a labor of love, for sure.”
“I can see why you’d feel proud of yourself for creating something so impressive,” the girl murmured, stepping in closer as she laid a hand on his arm.
The hairs on my neck bristled. For some reason, I disliked this girl. But why should I feel so bothered, so protective of this man? I’d only just met him. Yet, here I was, with the image of a shark in my mind. A shark that circled Scott, ready to strike. But then, why should I feel the need to be some kind of protective cage around him?
“Was it difficult to find a publisher?” I asked, still pretending not to notice the nasty look I got from Missy Shark.
“Query letters are a nightmare,” he admitted. “Talk about having your heart in your throat.” He launched into a retelling of the saga in which he searched for months on end, submitting his manuscript in his search for someone who would appreciate and publish his book. By the time he was finished speaking, Missy Shark was glancing around the room, trying not to yawn as she looked for other prey. I did my best not to look as smug as I felt, all the while asking myself why I cared so much.
During a lull in the conversation, Scott took my elbow, leaning closer to my ear. “It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we step out onto the terrace for some fresh air?” I smiled, both at his obvious tactic and at my own feeling of immense flattery that the guest of honor wanted to pull me aside.
He was right. It was definitely a beautiful day, the kind of day that made you joyful that spring was in the air. It was still a little on the cool side, but there was an undeniable hint of warmth and freshness that was uplifting in its promise of things to come.
“What sort of books do you read, Sarah?”
I suppose I should have expected a question like that. He was an author after all. But for a moment I was at a loss and felt foolish telling him the truth. I wondered why.
“I don’t have a lot of time for reading,” I admitted. “I listen to audiobooks while I work out, and even then, they’re generally about business and marketing. You could call me single-minded,” I laughed softly at myself. For some reason, I left out my occasional sci-fi obsession, telling myself a man like Scott might consider it escapist fiction, or might even think it a little below his level. I wondered again why it even mattered to me.
“You don’t need to sound guilty, you know.” He’d picked right up on me. “I admire a woman as focused on what she wants as you are. Your success shows how clearly your single-mindedness is working for you.” He gave me an indulgent smile, and I relaxed a little.
“You know,” he said, leaning casually on the railing, “I’m having a book signing in a few days, at a store only a few blocks from here. I’d love it if you’d come.”
My cheeks flushed with pleasure, and I wondered again why I felt like a schoolgirl around this man. “That would be nice. I’ll see what my schedule is like.” I appreciated his offer, but still wasn’t so sure of him, so I left it at that. We chatted some more, and he promised to give me the details, then Tammy pulled him back inside.
She doubled back to me once Scott was returned to his place in circulation among the guests. I pretended to ignore the raised eyebrow she gave me, but there was no escaping the grin of delight on my face.
“What?” I asked, turning to look at the traffic on the street below us.
“You know what. How did it go, your little tête-à-tête?”
I shrugged, loving how crazy I was driving her. “He asked me to attend his book signing. No big deal.”
Tammy’s squeal could probably be heard at street level, ten floo
rs down. “Oh, no, you’re wrong. That’s amazing! If he asked you to be there, that’s a lot more significant than simply telling you about it.”
“It’s a book signing, Tam. Not a proposal.”
“Well, everything has to start somewhere.” She linked her arm through mine and led me back to the party.
I smiled over at my friend, feeling better every minute about being there.
Chapter Three
I stretched as much as my chair would allow me, letting out a long sigh. I was already overwhelmed by the press of Monday morning meetings. Even though I did my planning on Fridays, there was always the task of setting out the work for the week after two days off.
I rolled my head on my shoulders, massaging my neck as I looked over the pile of work we were organizing. “What’s left?” I asked Rhonda.
My assistant wiggled her eyebrows at me. “The proofs for the upcoming Easter promotion for Chandler’s Candies.”
I shook my head, wincing at the mention of the name. Would I ever be able to break the association with Jimmy, the freelance photographer we’d hired for the Valentine’s shoot? “I’ll be glad when we’re past the candy holidays,” I muttered, flipping through the proofs we’d received for the ad.
“You know how marketing works. They can make any holiday about candy.” Rhonda laughed, and I nodded, agreeing with her because she was right.
The phone rang, and she jumped up as though to answer it. I held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry about it,” I said as I picked up. “Sarah Pilsner.”
“Sarah.” I knew the voice right away, and a shiver of pleasure ran down my spine. I’d given Scott my business card before leaving Tammy’s brunch, but I hadn’t expected him to call so soon.
“Scott, I’m glad you called.” Rhonda needed no explanation, just began gathering her things and made a quick exit.
“I hope you’re still available for the book signing on Wednesday,” he said. “It would break my heart a little if you weren’t able to make it.”
